Merchandising Grapple

ABSTRACT

A merchandising grapple is disclosed for removing retail items such as beverage cans, bottles, boxes, and the like from shipping containers in groups and placing them in groups on display shelves within a retail establishment. The grapple has spaced features that receive and hold the items in groups of several items and may have a handle for gripping the grapple and a slip joint for adjusting a width of the grapple. A method includes stocking display shelves by removing items in groups from shipping containers and placing them in groups on display shelves.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

Priority is hereby claimed to the filing date of U.S. provisional patentapplication No. 61/547,780 filed on Oct. 17, 2011.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to the merchandising of articles inretail stores and more specifically to stocking or re-stocking storeshelves with merchandise such as cans and bottles.

BACKGROUND

A costly activity for grocery stores, convenience stores, drug stores,and other retail businesses is the restocking of merchandise on displayshelves, the resetting of shelves, and merchandise rotation; i.e. theplacing of newer merchandise behind older merchandise. Unlikewarehousing and distribution activities where product is handled inpallet and case quantities, stocking retail shelves often involvesplacing individual units of a product or item or article on shelves.Thus, the rate at which product can be restocked or rotated permerchandising hour is limited by how quickly a human stocker can placeindividual items on the shelves.

Similarly, a costly activity for Direct Store Delivery (DSD) companiesalso is the restocking and resetting of shelves. In these situations,there is an added productivity constraint in that DSD merchandisers arelargely unsupervised and can be less diligent. Accordingly, the rate atwhich shelves are restocked and reset can be even lower in DSDsituations. One specific DSD industry involves the delivery and stockingof soft drinks. Soft drink packaging varies from individual cans to PETbottles of numerous sizes including 16 and 20 ounce, 2-liter, and ½liter 6-packs. Shelving configurations vary from single servepresentation in coolers, cold vaults, and vending machines to multipacson grocery shelves and end-caps. Such variation in package and shelvingconfigurations adds even more complexity to the merchandising of suchitems, and therefore limits further the productivity of people stockingand resetting shelves.

A need exists for a system and method that improve upon theinefficiencies mentioned above and others. More specifically, a needexists for tools usable by those who restock and rotate merchandise onstore shelves to increase significantly the speed and efficiency ofthese activities. It is to the provision of such a system andmethodologies that the present invention is primarily directed.

SUMMARY

Briefly described, a merchandising grapple is disclosed for removingmultiple items such as beverage cans and beverage bottles in a groupfrom shipping containers and loading them as a group into a store shelf.In one embodiment, the grapple has spaced apart forks designed toreceive and hold a group of several cans and to facilitate insertion ofthe group of cans onto a display shelf. In another, the grapple isconfigured to hold several PET bottles and has rails that fit beneaththe shoulders or neck of the bottles so that they are suspended from thegrapple. In use, several cans or bottles (or other articles) are graspedand held by the grapple and the entire group can be slid into an emptylane of a store shelf at the same time. Also, a remaining group of oldercans or bottles can be removed from a shelf simultaneously with thegrapple, a group of newer cans or bottles loaded in the grapple behindthe older ones, and the combined group slid back into a lane of theshelf. In this way, shelves are quickly reset with merchandise rotation;i.e. older merchandise in front. These and other features, aspects, andadvantages will be better appreciated upon review of the detaileddescription set forth below, when taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawing figures, which are briefly described as follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1, 1 a, 1 b, and 1 c illustrate one embodiment of a merchandisinggrapple for use with merchandise in cans.

FIG. 2 illustrates a typical PET bottle of the type used to containbeverages.

FIG. 3 illustrates another embodiment of a merchandising grapple for usewith PET bottles such as that of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 shows the merchandising grapple of FIG. 3 loaded with several PETbeverage bottles ready to be loaded onto a shelf.

FIG. 5 illustrates yet another embodiment of a merchandising grappleaccording the disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates still another embodiment of a merchandising grappleaccording to the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The entire content of the provisional patent application to whichpriority is claimed above is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

Reference will now be made to the drawing figures, wherein likereference numerals, where appropriate, indicate like parts throughoutthe several views. FIG. 1 illustrates a merchandising grapple of a firstembodiment designed for use with most grocery items, including cans,boxed goods, and small bottles. The merchandising grapple of FIG. 1 willbe described for the sake of clarity within the context of stockingbeverage cans, but it will be understood that the invention is notlimited to beverages or cans and is usable to stock merchandise in othercontainers such as boxes.

The merchandising grapple 11 is formed with a handle 12 that includes anadjustable slip joint 13. A pair of forks 14 is attached to and projectfrom the lower end of the handle and, as shown in FIG. 1 a, each fork isconfigured with an angled cross section having a horizontal leg 14 a anda vertical leg 14 b. Retaining rails 16 are attached to the handle 12intermediate its upper and lower ends and the retaining rails 16 extendabove and substantially parallel to the forks 14.

The slip joint 13, detailed in FIG. 1 b, comprises slots 17 and 18 inthe region where the arms of the handle 12 cross and a set screw or bolt15 extends through the slots 17 and 18. For larger products, a user canwiden the space between the forks 14 to correspond to the width of theproduct by releasing the set screw 15 thereby allowing it so slidewithin the slots 17 and 18. The arms of the handle 12 can then beadjusted so that the forks 14 attain the proper spacing. Once theappropriate spacing is obtained for a given product or package, the setscrew 15 is retightened to fix the forks at the proper spacing. Ofcourse, the reverse it true when adjusting the merchandising grapple tonarrow the spacing between the forks to accommodate containers ofnarrower widths. While slots and a set screw of bolt are shown in theillustrated embodiments, other mechanisms for adjusting the spacing ofthe forks may be substituted with equivalent results. For example, atoothed slot and pin arrangement similar to those found in certainpliers may be used as may other arrangements that permit the spacingbetween the forks to be adjusted and set.

FIG. 1 c is a side elevational view showing the merchandising grapple ofthis embodiment loaded with articles to be shelved; in this case colacans 19. The weight of the cans is supported on the horizontal legs 14 aof the spaced forks 14 and the spacing of the forks is such that thevertical legs 14 b of the forks reside against the sides of the cans attheir bottoms to hold the cans in the grapple in a linear array. Therails 16 prevent the cans from tipping. This embodiment of the grappleis able to slide under product such as a group of cans within a shippingcase or container and the product is then pulled in a group from theshipping container rather than one at a time as in manual stocking. Inthis regard, the forward ends of the horizontal legs of the forks 14 maybe tapered to a thin edge to allow the horizontal legs to slip easilybeneath containers of product to gather a group of containers within thegrapple. When a group of containers is captured, the user may squeezethe handle like a pair of pliers to grip the containers between thevertical legs 14 b of the forks and the retaining rails 16. A group ofcontainers is then loaded into the merchandising grapple.

Once the merchandising grapple 11 is loaded with a group of containers,the entire group can be slid out of their shipping container and movedto the display shelf. At the display shelf, the merchandising grappleand its group of containers are slid into the display shelf in one fluidmotion. Once positioned within the display shelf, the grapple isreleased by relieving inwardly directed squeezing force on the grapplehandle. The released grapple is then slid out of the display shelf fromunderneath the containers, leaving the entire group of containers on thedisplay shelf. It will thus be seen that a group of containers such asbeverage cans can be retrieved from their shipping container and placedon a display shelf in a very efficient manner that is much moreeffective and faster than old time single item stocking techniques whereeach container is removed and placed on the shelf independently. Forexample, if the merchandising grapple holds 6 containers as shown inFIG. 1 c, then the time and effort required to stock these items may bereduced by a factor of approximately 6.

The concepts embodied in the merchandise grapple of this disclosure areapplicable to the stocking and shelving of a wide multitude of differentproducts including, without limitation, food cans and containers of alltypes; boxes such as cereal and detergent boxes; bottles such as drinkbottles, juice bottles, spray bottles, personal care product bottles andothers; hanging packages; and virtually any type of container that is orcan be shelved in queues on a store shelf. Thus, the merchandise grapplehas wide multi-faceted appeal to a broad customer base. The followingdescription of a specific example is presented within the context ofshelving PET bottles such as 2-liter beverage bottles. It will beunderstood, however, that this is merely one example of an applicationof the merchandising grapple of this invention and that the invention isin no way limited to the shelving of PET bottles.

FIG. 2 illustrates a typical PET bottle of the type used to containbeverages. The bottle 26 has a body 27 that contains beverage. The body27 has a neck 28 and a cap 29, which typically is a screw-on cap. Anannular shoulder 31 projects outwardly just beneath the cap and isprovided to allow consumers to grasp and pick up the bottle easily whendesired. PET bottles vary, but the configuration shown in FIG. 2 iscommon and illustrates features utilized in the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates an alternate embodiment of a merchandising grapple 32designed for use with PET bottles such as bottle 26 shown in FIG. 2. Thegrapple 32 is formed with spaced apart arms 33 and 34 connected at oneend by a bight 36 or other connecting structure. The spacing between thearms 33 and 34 is sufficiently wide to receive the necks 28 of PETbottles but sufficiently narrow so that the shoulders 31 of such bottlescannot slip between the arms. As illustrated in FIG. 4, a user may slipthe grapple 32 over the necks of a plurality of PET bottles just beneaththe shoulders 31 of the bottles. The user can then lift the bottles in agroup from a shipping case or carton using the grapple, move the groupto a display shelf, and place them in a group on the display shelf. Thegrapple is then slid from beneath the shoulders of the bottles and theprocess is repeated until all desired bottles are placed on the shelf.

In cases where one or two older bottles (or other items) remain on theshelf and merchandise rotation is desired, a user may first slip thegrapple over the necks and beneath the shoulders of these older bottles,remove the older bottles from the shelf in a group, and fill theremaining space in the grapple with new bottles from their shippingcontainer. The resulting group can then be placed back in the displayshelf as described above. In this way, the shelf is restocked androtated with older merchandise in front of newer merchandise. Thisprocedure is common to all embodiments of the merchandising grapple ofthis invention and greatly enhances the efficiency of rotating stock ona display shelf.

In some instances there is a need to place 2-liter bottles (or othermerchandise) on a higher shelf and behind earlier dated product forrotational purposes. These higher locations on display shelves may bedifficult to reach without step stools or ladders. For such situations,an extension handle, illustrated in FIG. 5, can be added to the grappleof FIG. 4 to accommodate the extra required reach. More specifically,extension handle 39 is shown in FIG. 5 attached to grapple 32. In thisembodiment, the extension handle also has arms 41 and 42 connected by abight 43; however, other configurations certainly are possible. A pin 44can be secured to the grapple 32 to provide a stop for bottles beforethey reach the bight 36 and to determine the number of bottles held bythe grapple. The handle 39 may be configured to curve downwardly fromthe grapple 32 to allow a user to grasp the handle and raise the grappleto a higher location than he or she could otherwise reach. In use, theextension handle 39 of this embodiment allows a user to lift a group ofbottles up to a top or high shelf and place them properly on the shelfwithout the need for a ladder or other step tool.

Many products to be shelved are not bottles and/or do not include rimsor necks such as those usually found in beverage bottles. The embodimentof the merchandising grapple shown in FIG. 6 accommodates these types ofproducts. This embodiment comprises a scissor-like configuration with apair of spaced arms 47 and 48 extending from a slip joint 52. A handle49 extends rearwardly from the slip joint 52 and terminates in scissorgrips 51. The slip joint 52 may be selectively adjustable similar tothat of FIG. 1 b if desired to adjust the spacing between the arms 47and 48 to accommodate a particular product container.

In use, the slip joint is adjusted until the space between the arms 47and 48 corresponds to the shape and size of a package to be shelved, beit a bottle, can, box, or other type of package. The arms can then beclosed around such packages like jaws of a pair of pliers and used asdescribed above to move the packages in a group from their shipping caseonto a display shelf. In this embodiment, the scissor handles can beconfigured to curve upwardly or downwardly as needed. Further, the armsmay be configured in any shape necessary to engage and carry productcontainers to be shelved. For example, they may be configured withangled cross sections as shown in FIG. 1 a, with a scalloped or toothedconfiguration to embrace a particular shape of container, or simply withrubber or other friction reducing coatings to prevent product containersfrom slipping out from between the spaced arms 47 and 48 when gripped.

The invention has been described herein within the context of preferredembodiments and methodologies considered by the inventors to representthe best mode of carrying out the invention. It will be understood byskilled artisans, however, that a wide range of additions, deletions,and modifications, both subtle and gross, might well be made to theillustrated embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention as set forth in the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A merchandising grapple for loading articles ingroups on a display shelf, the merchandising grapple comprising: a pairof spaced apart arms configured to engage and hold a group of articlesin a predetermined configuration between the spaced apart arms; and ahandle connected to the pair of spaced apart arms configured to begrasped by a user to manipulate a group of articles held between thespaced apart arms.
 2. A merchandising grapple as claimed in claim 1further comprising a mechanism in the handle configured to permitadjustment of the spacing between the spaced apart arms to accommodatearticles to be loaded.
 3. A merchandising grapple as claimed in claim 2wherein the handle includes crossing portions and the mechanism topermit adjustment is in the crossing portions of the handle.
 4. Amerchandising grapple as claimed in claim 3 wherein the mechanismcomprises a pair of crossing slots.
 5. A merchandising grapple asclaimed in claim 4 further comprising a set screw extending through thecrossing slots, the set screw configured to be loosened to permitadjustment of the spacing between the arms and retightened to fix thespacing.
 6. A merchandising grapple as claimed in claim 1 wherein thespaced apart arms have angled cross sections.
 7. A merchandising grappleas claimed in claim 6 wherein each arm has a horizontal portion tosupport articles to be loaded and a vertical portion to retain thearticles on the horizontal portion.
 8. A merchandising grapple asclaimed in claim 7 further comprising a pair of spaced apart retainingrails extending along and above each of the arms to prevent tipping ofarticles.
 9. A merchandising grapple as claimed in claim 8 wherein thepair of spaced apart retaining rails is attached to the handle.
 10. Amerchandising grapple as claimed in claim 3 wherein the handle is formedwith scissor grips.
 11. A method of removing articles from a shippingcontainer in a group and placing the removed articles in a group on adisplay shelf for merchandising, the method comprising the steps of: (a)collecting a plurality of articles from the shipping container using amerchandising grapple configured to receive and hold the group ofarticles; (b) moving the merchandising grapple and the plurality ofcollected articles out of the shipping container; (c) moving themerchandising grapple and the plurality of collected articles to adisplay shelf; (d) moving the merchandising grapple and the plurality ofcollected articles onto the display shelf; and (e) retracting themerchandising grapple from the plurality of articles.
 12. The method ofclaim 11 wherein step (a) further comprises gripping the plurality ofarticles between arms of the merchandising grapple.
 13. The method ofclaim 11 wherein step (a) comprises supporting the plurality of articleson arms of the merchandising grapple.
 14. The method of claim 13 whereinstep (a) further comprises preventing the plurality of articles fromtipping.
 15. The method of claim 14 wherein the preventing stepcomprises confining the plurality of articles between retaining rods ofthe merchandising grapple.
 16. The method of claim 11 further comprisingloading one or more older articles from the display shelf prior to step(a) so that older articles remain in front on the display shelffollowing step (e).
 17. The method of claim 12 wherein step (e)comprises releasing the grip of the merchandising grapple on theplurality of articles prior to retracting the merchandise grapple. 18.The method of claim 11 wherein steps (a), (b), (c), (d), and (e)comprise grasping a handle of the merchandising grapple.